"Simple. Just wait a moment—someone will guide you."
Natasha replied casually.
"Carl, they're in the garage. Go give them a hand."
Carl had already heard Xia Ling, but he hadn't expected to be the one sent over.
"Why me?" he asked. He was just here to make up the numbers—these people didn't even warrant his involvement. Steve and Barton alone could wipe them out.
"Because you're the most free one here. If you don't go, who will?" Natasha shot back impatiently. She was busy dealing with the anti-aircraft guns. Sam and Rhodey were clearing out enemies on the perimeter while drawing fire. Steve and Tony were leading the frontal assault. Carl was the only one with nothing to do.
With no choice, Carl flew toward the garage. The problem was, he had no idea where the exit was. He circled the fortress once before finally spotting a large gate tucked against a mountainside, connected to a long road.
"This should be it, right?"
He muttered to himself, then sent out two wind blades that blasted the gate apart. Sure enough, a winding road stretched upward—it clearly connected to the garage.
Carl followed the path, smashing through one gate after another. He had no idea why there were so many—this wasn't Batman's Batcave.
When he destroyed the final gate, a flashy car burst out just in time, with a line of vehicles in hot pursuit.
Xia Ling, who was driving, spotted Carl but didn't stop. Instead, she pointed behind her. Though she didn't recognize him, his attire and her earlier call with Natasha made it obvious—he was one of the Avengers.
Carl shrugged helplessly, then flicked out several wind blades. They exploded among the pursuing vehicles, triggering a chain of blasts.
---
Inside the underground surveillance room of the base, Wenwu sat calmly in his chair, watching everything through the cameras. There was no urgency in his expression—if anything, he seemed amused, as though watching a movie. The Avengers' arrival didn't appear to concern him at all.
At that moment, the masked man entered and stood silently behind him.
"Let's go. This place no longer needs to exist."
Wenwu pressed a button and rose, walking out of the control room. On the large screen, a ten-minute countdown suddenly appeared.
---
Carl followed Xia Ling's car until they reached a winding mountain road, where they finally stopped. Shang-Chi and Xia Ling got out as well.
"You're an Avenger?"
Xia Ling asked, sitting on the hood while holding Hundun.
Carl shook his head. He had never been an Avenger.
"I've seen you on TV—you're the one who can turn into a monster," Shang-Chi said, pointing at him. Living in New York, he had access to firsthand information. Although Nick Fury had used various means to erase past footage—especially from the Battle of New York and Ultron's invasion—plenty of videos had been saved and continued to circulate in secret. In this day and age, information could never be completely erased. Fury could control the internet, but he couldn't access offline devices—even Skye couldn't do that.
Shang-Chi's words were a bit rude, and Xia Ling discreetly kicked him, shooting him an annoyed look. Carl, however, didn't care in the slightest.
"Name's Carl. I'm not an Avenger, but I do work with them sometimes."
Shang-Chi and Xia Ling introduced themselves as well. Xia Ling even lifted Hundun to present him.
"I know what that is—Hundun. One of the Four Fiends from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. I've never seen a real one, but it's probably not too different from this."
Both siblings were surprised that Carl recognized it. Hundun, meanwhile, let out a few soft grunts.
"He says he can sense a huge amount of magical power inside you. And for some reason, you feel… familiar to him. He wants us to bring you along to Ta Lo."
Xia Ling spoke in disbelief. Hundun actually wanted them to take this "Avenger" with them—wasn't that like inviting trouble?
---
Meanwhile, Steve and Tony had already charged into the fortress. Suddenly, J.A.R.V.I.S. alerted Tony:
"Sir, I've detected a timed explosive within the fortress. It will detonate in four minutes, destroying everything here."
Tony froze midair.
"Cap, there's a bomb! We need to pull out—now!"
He immediately grabbed Peter and blasted out of the fortress.
Hearing this, Steve and Barton sprinted toward the exit at full speed.
"Natasha, be ready for extraction. Tony says there's a bomb—we need to evacuate immediately!"
"Copy that, Cap."
Natasha adjusted the Quinjet's heading and opened the hatch for quick boarding.
"Sam, Rhodey—cover Natasha. We're on our way!"
The two immediately unleashed heavy fire on the anti-aircraft guns. Rhodey brought overwhelming firepower, while Sam was far more agile—their coordination was seamless.
"Carl, where are you? We have to leave—the fortress is about to blow. Bring those two kids to the rendezvous point."
Steve contacted Carl, having not seen him since he went to find Shang-Chi and Xia Ling.
"We're on a nearby road. Heading there now," Carl replied.
Shang-Chi and Xia Ling had also heard Steve through their earpieces. What shocked them most was that Wenwu had ordered the destruction of their home without a second thought.
They both turned to look at the fortress on the mountain. It had been their home for years—something deeply meaningful to them.
"Let's get out of here first," Carl said. "Wenwu's already activated the bomb. No one can stop it now."
He climbed into the back seat.
Though reluctant, Shang-Chi and Xia Ling knew better than to hesitate. Survival came first. Shang-Chi took the driver's seat this time, while Xia Ling sat in the passenger seat holding Hundun.
"Where are we going?" Shang-Chi asked.
"Just head down the mountain for now."
---
Meanwhile, Steve and the others had boarded the Quinjet. Natasha pushed the controls forward, and the engines roared to life as the jet shot skyward.
BOOM—!!!
A massive mushroom cloud erupted behind them. The entire mountain housing the fortress collapsed instantly, the ground shaking like an earthquake. The fortress was buried beneath the landslide, the entire mountain reduced to ruins.
Shang-Chi floored the accelerator, as if trying to push the pedal through the engine. The car sped along the winding mountain road as the collapse rapidly caught up from behind.
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